In the restaurant industry beverages that require mixing are often prepared by beverage dispensers which quickly add two or more ingredients together in a mixing bowl, mix these ingredients and dispense the mixed product. Concentrated beverages, and/or syrups and dairy products can be mixed and, under some circumstances, are whipped into a foam and dispensed for consumption by the consumer. Surfaces that contact the product in a beverage dispenser, require regular cleaning to prevent the build up of food deposits. Cleanliness is all the more important in dispensers that prepare beverages that include dairy products because residual amounts of dairy products encourage bacterial growth and quickly decompose into poor tasting, inedible products having a putrid smell.
Beverage dispensers that handle milk based components, especially those that whip beverages into a foam, require regular and thorough cleaning with appropriate cleaning solutions to remove residues that gradually accumulate in tubing and the mechanical parts of the dispenser assembly. If done manually, the process is labor intensive and time consuming. Some cleaning processes require disassembly and re-assembly of the dispensing machine. In addition to the time required to clean such machines, neglect or error in the cleaning process can affect beverage quality and can lead to serious health hazards.
Beverage dispensers have been designed that provide for cleaning of surfaces while they remain in-place in the dispenser. US 2004/0118291, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes an automated dispenser comprising an interface connection configured to establish a supply of a milk-based fluid from a reservoir (for example a container or bag), a mixing device configured to receive the milk-based fluid (e.g., a milk liquid concentrate) and prepare a milk-based product (e.g., a cappuccino or latte type beverage), a nozzle in fluid association with the mixing device for dispensing the milk-based product, a product flowpath configured for directing the milk-based product to flow from the interface connection through the mixing device to the nozzle, and a clean-in-place flowpath assembly. The device also includes a supply of cleaning or sanitizing fluid and a flowpath which is configured to deliver the cleaning or sanitizing fluid so that it can pass through and clean the product flowpath. To maintain the dispenser in a sanitized state, the product flowpath and surfaces that contact the beverage components are routinely cleaned by flushing those surfaces with cleaning fluids at periodical intervals. Nevertheless, in such systems certain areas are still found difficult to clean.